Scuba's Chronicles

The Costa Rican Clams

2009-07-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

as the week winds down, and it is time to part way with my new friends from Boca Fla, and Lexington NC, i have been subtly asked to give a reflective retrospective of the week. if i had to compare the groups to an animal, it would be a clam. at the beginning of the they were closed tight, timid, and very shy. WORSHIP was as a quite, one-sided affair. but as the week progressed, they started to open up and really let the praises ring. by wednesday night, the shell was busted open and the big shiny pearl that was their LOVE for GOD was gleaming bright. it was a glorious event to watch them grow in so much over such a short period of time. i would have to chalk that one up to where we are at. i have always believed that when a person seperates themself from the world, meaning cellphones, internet, tv, radio, facebook, and the likes, it is much easier to hear the stillness of GOD'S voice. it again has been proven this week. we have been surrounded by GOD'S beautiful creation constantly here in Costa Rica, it has been near impossible to not be touched by HIM. this week has been a wonder and beautiful one, and i have added many brothers and sisters to my family. but while i may shed a tear this morning as we go our seperate ways, i am excited to go through the proccess again this week.

psalm 115
"not to us O LORD, not to us, but to thy name be the glory, because of Your LOVE and FAITHFULNESS."

peace be the journey

Getting Work Done...Even When There is None to Do

2009-07-22T20:10:00.001-07:00

the last few days have been a bit hectic, a little crazy, but very eye opening and rewarding. last night we served a meal to the homeless in downtown San Jose, Costa Rica. unlike america, there are no homeless shelters, instead we bought supplies for one hundred sandwiches, with juice boxes and some cookies. the sandwiches just contained a slice of bologna, a slice of cheese, and some butter. after putting them together, we headed downtown into the ghetto and handed them out on the street. they came in droves as soon as we pulled up. we handed out 104 meals in about 10 minutes. as we pulled away two men started getting physical over a one of the bags. it was very revealing of their situation to see two grown men fight so hard over a slice of bologna and cheese.

today we spent the whole day at a church in a remote village about an hour outside of the city. we repainted 5 rooms as well as power washed and painted the main fellowship area. unfortunatly there was more people then work, but we were about to really push hard and get it all done just after lunch. after finishing painting, we traveled about 20 minutes to the worlds largest oxcart. afterwhich we came back to the church for a homecooked meal of beans and rice. over the last few days we have gone through about 5 buses, numerouse traffic jams, but life is good right now. i will get some pics up soon. peace be the journey

Welcome to Costa Rica

2009-07-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

i have arrived here in Costa Rica safe and sound. we have run in to a couple of logistical problems off the line, we actually just changed our lodging, but things are still going pretty well. we spent the morning at an orphanage just playing with the kids. we played a lot of soccer, and it was once again proven the i made a great choice in basketball. but it was fun and the kids had a blast. they kept jumping on my back trying to ride on my shoulders. i hope to get some pics up soon, but i am off again. peace be the journey

Trucking Tuesday and Edith...She was a Bad, Bad Seed

2009-07-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

today was trucking tuesday here on ASP. we jumped in head first into our project. we kicked out the roof, which means that we set up supports so we could finish deconstructing what was supporting it. we also got to dig out three two foot holes, and poured cement into them to act as a foundation for the new porch. tomorrow, hopefully, we will frame the whole porch and start decking it.
this evening was also culture night. as many of you know, and by many of you, i mean probably nobody, Mingo Country, WV is home to the famous Hatfield v. McCoy feud. we were lucky enough to have Sonya Hatfield-Hall come and tell us all about the feud. the feud was basically over a pig, with whom both families laid claim to, which is no laughing matter, even though it is pretty funny, but a serious matter none the less, because a pig can feed a family through out a winter. eventually the matter went to trail, again no laughing matter, with 3 McCoys and 3 Hatfield's acting as a jury. after a day of debating finally one of the McCoys sided with the Hatfield's, and the Hatfield's won the pig... Sonya did happily report though that the feud has past and as she put it, "the Hatfield's and McCoy were marrying before the feud, during the feud and will continue to marry from now until the end of time."

Sonya happened to be a professional storyteller and spun us some yarns as the sunset. she told us that one thing that separates Appalachian people from others is that they "still believe in scaring the bejezzus out of children to get them to behave" she told us the story of the the dreaded Rawface Bloodybones, an evil pig carcass who eat little Edith because "she was a bad, bad seed." so to sum up what i learned today: Pig Trials are no laughing matter because people's survival are at stake, and don't trip you grandmother as she is carrying pails full of milk like Edith, or a pig carcass will eat you alive...

Mosey Monday

2009-07-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

today was the first day at the work sites. ASP has always labeled mondays as "mosey mondays", a day where we take our time, and really get to know our homeowners. i am working for a sweet, gentle woman named Ms. Hazel. she has been living in her home in the hollow for 46 years. you can tell the elements have really taken their toll on the house. we are going to replace her front patio and the roof for it, and make her a brand new one. we were able to deconstruct all of the old rotted wood, [in the process i found two spiders the size of a small dinner plate.] in preparation for tomorrow, work twice as hard tuesday...

i get so disheartened while i am down in appalachia every year. there is so much that needs to be done, and i wish i could do it all. it isn't just the homes in disrepair. it is the lack of industry, the lack of infrastructure, poor school systems, and so much more. and these people show so much FAITH and TRUST in GOD. i pray that He will deliver them and heal this area. i have so much, comparatively speaking, i only wish there was more i could give and do.

Fighting the Good Fight.....at Home

2009-07-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

no trips this week, but that doesn't mean that there isn't work to be done. last night was a ministry council meeting at the church, which contrary to popular belief is not the most exciting thing in the world. i have come to realize though, ministry work isn't all adventurous, exciting, getting your hands dirty, field work. this is something that i think my generation, myself included, misses sometimes. we have the passion, but we rush in unorganized and think a little too much with our hearts at times. thinking with the heart isn't a bad thing, it invokes passion. it is just that a little organization doesn't hurt at all either. if that means sitting through a 2 hour meeting, and some rambling from time to time, so that everything gets done right, well, i think i can live with that.

The Fla...

2009-06-25T15:57:00.001-07:00

what a crazy couple of days. we have traveled from virginia to georgia to tampa, then clearwater, then orlando and now melbourne, singing and dancing and jamming on the guitar the whole way. lastnight we had one of our all time best concerts. we performed in ladylake florida, outside of orlando, and home to the famous "The Villages" retirement community. they came out in droves to hear us perform, all 340 of them. the choir was up to task and performed flawlessly, give the crowd what they came to hear. unfortunately this is where my tour journey ends, i am now sitting in the orlando international airport. no i did not get sent home, this is a planned early departure. one of my greatest friends is getting married on saturday and i am flying home for the rehearsal tomorrow. but the choir shall carry on without me. they will perform tonight in melbourne, then travel up to sanford, north carolina, to give the last performance of the tour tomorrow night before heading home saturday.

before i left i spoke to the senior class, hopefully purveying some words of wisdom. i presented them with the verse from Timothy, challenging them to live with RIGHTEOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH, LOVE, ENDURANCE and GENTLENESS as they travel on in life. i went on to tell them to really listen to the words to the last song we have always sung as our last song on tour, Not To Us/A Closing Prayer:

the time has come for us, to leave this loving place. GUIDE US and PROTECT US, and LEAD US in thy GRACE....wherever LIFE may take us, as we go our separate ways, help us share with others the things we learned today...and bring us back to this FELLOWSHIP, once again.

[note: i am horrible at remembering lyrics in this manner, they may not be 100% correct, but the main idea is there...]

the COMMUNITY of the choir still is very strong once we leave the program. there is no greater example of this then every dec 24, when we get together again. as soon as we step into the room together, it is just like every other sunday at 4pm, and all the memories come flooding back. we are then able to turn this community in to song, as our offering to GOD. it is a beautiful things and something that the class of '09 will remember for a long time to come.

South of the Border

2009-06-22T18:17:00.001-07:00

tonight is a concert-free night. we spent all day traveling from virgina to georgia, on our way to tampa bay tomorrow. last night we put on another solid program for the folks of Old Bridge UMC in woodbridge, virgina. it was a nice church, and the people there were very welcoming. they had a beautiful sanctuary that was lit with mostly natural light. i tried to take some pictures of the sunset through the windows during the concert...but i failed epically. this morning before we left for georgia, we talked about the HOPE that we deliver to people. we are presenting a message that is needed more now then any other time in my lifetime. a message that even in these tough times, GOD is there for us, willing to LOVE, and willing to PROVIDE for us in our times of need.

today for lunch we stopped at the legendary tourist trap, south of the border. it was my first time there, and probably my last. not going to lie, it was the dirtiest place in the world...but at least now i can tell my grand kids many a year down the road, as we are traveling past the giant mexican hat on the side of the road, that yes i have indeed been there, and should visit too, on their own time...

Virginia

2009-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

tour has gotten of to a great start. after a very energetic kick-off concert friday night, we left for fredricksburg, va on saturday morning. our first start stop was at New Season UMC, and church only three years old, and teeming with passion for the LORD. the congregation just moved into their own building for the first time two weeks ago. their new church building is a former funrinture store, which they have converted into a worship space. after only spending a day with them, you can tell that the congregation is just bursting with PASSION, itching to serve the GOD, and their community. my host family was telling me how once every six months, they have a "SERVICE SUNDAY", where they forgo their usual sunday morning service and go out into the community are serve those in need. instead of putting on a full concert last night, we were their sunday morning service this morning. we only did first first and third set, and in between took communion and celebrated our fathers. after the service they had a luncheon for us, and then we left for woodbridge, va. where i am righting from now. we just finished setting up the stage and are about to do a sound check, here are some pictures from fredricksburg.

Into

2009-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

over the next couple of weeks, i will be traveling about 8000 miles spreading the LOVE and HOPE of GOD to people from all walks of LIFE. it occurred to me the other day that this summer is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and that i should document some how. this amazing journey starts this coming friday the 19th, when i leave with 38 youth from my youth group to go on tour with the youth choir. we will be traveling to virgina, north carolina, and florida presenting 7 concerts in 7 days to various churchs. after that, in july, i leave with 50 senior high youth and adults for mingo county, west virgina. there we will be taking part in the Appalachian Service Project, help repair the homes and souls of those who are in a much more difficult position then us. I will leave right from west virgina to san jose, costa rica. i will be leading several youth groups on tours of orphanages and medical clinics, while providing worship for nightly services. after two weeks in costa rica, i will return home to lead about 20 middle school youth in a mission trip in west chester, because while spreading the GOD'S LOVE around the world is necessary, people living just down the street need it just as much.

this summer i will be drawing on several verses to draw inspiration from.

Timothy 6:10-12
¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.¹¹But you, man of GOD, flee from all this, and pursue RIGHTOUSNESS, GODLINESS, FAITH, LOVE, ENDURANCE and GENTLENESS. ¹²Fight the good fight of the FAITH. Take hold of the eternal LIFE to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

and

2 Thessalonians 3:10
¹⁰For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

this is going to be an adventure and i invite you to take part in it with me through this blog, and sending a prayer or two my way. i will try and post about 4-5 times a week, depending on internet availability.